Naruto's Youth
by Coach Shogun 20
Summary: We all know that Naruto's childhood was filled with hardships, sadness, and loneliness. Before now it has never been told, at least not like this. Please R&R.
1. Playing Ninja

_Youth..._

_Your childhood is supposed to be the best time of your life..._

_but for some its not..._

Me: We all know it wasn't the best time of his life for Naruto. But just how bad was it? This story is told from Naruto's point of view, please R&R. Rated T for violence and mild language. DISCLAIMER: I don't own Naruto or any other character.

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**Naruto age 7**

Today was much like any other day. Some one changed the time on my alarm clock so I'd wake up late. When I got to breakfast it was cold and there was very little left. I began to eat when the most annoying voice filled my ears.

"Hey, whisker-face!"

_Him..._

"What do you want want, Daiki?" That name, I loathed to hear it. I loathed to speak it. I loathed to think it.

"I just wanted to say hi and sit next to you." Daiki sat right next to me. I looked at his body. From his short, brown hair, to his stubby legs. His chubby body jiggled as he sat down. His squinty eyes, his sharp nose, his small mouth, always in a deceivingly friendly smile, I hated all these things about him. The only thing we had in common was that we both had been here the longest.

"Yeah right." I whispered under my breath. Even if I hate him, he could beat me up in a second.

He sat there for a minute or so before he took my food and ate it himself.

"Hey! That was mine!" I began to clench my teeth.

"Sorry, I thought you were finished." Finally he began to walk away.

My stomach began to growl. My body was thin, almost malnourished because other people took my food too much. I looked beside me. _She_ was sitting next to me. _She_ was the nicest, prettiest girl at the orphanage. Out of everyone, _She_ was the only one was ever nice to me. She had the most beautiful name too, Miyu. She had told me before it meant 'beautiful bind'.

"Hello Miyu." I could feel myself blushing.

"Hi Naruto, here have some of my breakfast." Miyu's smile wasn't a huge one. It wasn't a forced one. It was just her smile, it was here own, no one else had a smile like it.

"Thank you." I smiled, embarrassed. I didn't know why, maybe it was because I liked her, and I knew she didn't like me back.

As I began to eat I stared at her long, dark brown hair. It was pushed behind her shoulders, as usual. She was 8 years old, a year older than me, but had only been here for half as long. I've been here as long as I can remember, they said my mother died giving birth, and my father died fighting the nine-tailed fox. Every time I heard those words, nine-tailed fox, it sent a shiver down my spine. Not like when I hear Daiki, more like when someone calls your name, and you don't know who it is. I didn't know why, it just did that.

"Naruto, wake up!" My eyes opened, to see Miyu still sitting beside me.

"When did I fall asleep?" I was still a little tired.

"I guess about five minutes ago."

I looked around, everyone had gone outside. Me and Miyu did as well. There was always several groups of kids playing 'Ninja'. I think the rules were like hide n' seek. One team hid, the other team tried to find them. After they had found them the 'ninja' team needed to throw a cardboard shuriken at them and hit them for the hider to be out. If the game went on for more than an hour, the hiding team won. I wasn't sure if that was really how the rules went, no one ever let me play.

"We need one more person." I heard Gaius's voice. He was just as old as me. He enjoyed organizing huge games of ninja. He wouldn't start until they had a certain amount of people.

"There is no one else, they're all playing other games!" Budi, a short kid about 6 years old, was known for pointing out the obvious.

"What about Naruto?" Gaius pointed at me.

"Him?" Budi said what everyone was thinking.

"Sure why not." Gaius shrugged his shoulders. He had only been here a few weeks so he didn't know exactly how much people disliked Naruto.

"He sucks!" I heard another kid, whom I didn't know, protest.

"How would you know, you never let him play." Gaius, using his authority, shot down all protest and began walking toward me. "Hey, Naruto, do you wanna play?"

"Sure." I began to walk toward the group of kids.

"Do you know the rules?" Gaius's voice had leadership in it.

"I think so, but refresh my memory." Gaius then told me everything I needed to know.

"...Normally it's only one hour, but with this many people we usually keep going for two hours." Gaius finished.

"Okay, Naruto's on the hiding team. Now we'll count to 100." Gaius and his team shut their eyes. "1...2...3..."

I began to search around the playground for a place to hide. I eventually hid in the bushes, I saw Budi hide in a trash can, and the other kid who protested hid in a tree.

"...95...96...97...98...99...100! Ready or not, we're coming." Gaius and his team began searching around the playground.

Both teams had around 11 kids. An hour passed, I still hadn't been found, but several others from my team had. Budi was one of them. I figured the reason no one had found me was because the space in between the bushes and the orphanage was small, only I could fit in it. Another 30 minutes passed, I was the only one left.

"Come out Naruto, you can't win." Gaius looked around the playground trying to spot me.

I held my breath as someone walked near the bushes. They walked away again, I kept myself from sighing though, so I wouldn't give myself away. Now there was only 1 minute left.

"60...59...58..." My team began counting the seconds before they won.

Gaius's team was searching around frantically.

"He might actually be good." Gaius was standing right in front of me.

"10...9...8...7..."

"Hurry up and find him!" Gaius couldn't stand to lose.

"4...3...2..."

"There he is, get him!" They found me.

I began to run as fast as I could.

"1..."

I looked behind me, a cardboard shuriken was flying at me.

"0..." Cheers came out from my team, we'd won!

Right then the shuriken hit me, if they'd thrown it one second later I would've been hit. Now it was time to go in, Mrs. Knushi (pronounced Nushi) had said she had a special surprise for us during lunch.

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Thank you for reading, please review.


	2. Adoption by Homelessness

"Alright children, today during lunch you'll get to hear about the exciting life of a shinobi." Mrs. Knushi forced a smile. I could always tell she hated children, especially me.

"Hello. My name is Iruka. I'll be telling you about the life of a Chunin. It can range from teaching, to going on dangerous mission..." Iruka began to explain the life of a shinobi.

I began to day dream as I ate, sitting far from everyone else. I could still hear Iruka, I just wasn't right in front of him. I day dreamed about being a shinobi, and winning Miyu's heart by rescuing her from some... Well I wasn't sure who exactly, just that I was saving her.

"...I'll take questions now. Yes you." I had day-dreamed through the entire thing!

"Can I be a shinobi one day?" It was Budi.

"If you can get enough money to go to the academy, then yes of course. But you have to work hard. Who knows, maybe one of you in here will one day be Hokage." Hokage! I could be Hokage one day? Every one would like me then, I wouldn't have to be good at a game, or anything. They'd love me because I was so great!

After a minute of dreaming of what it would be like to have my head up on that mountain, I came to realization...

I would never have the money. My dreams were crushed by one word, money.

I ate my lunch in silence, when I finished I saw that Iruka was still here. He wasn't answering questions out loud anymore, but I got up to ask something.

"Iruka?"

"Yes?"

"Are there any scholarships to get into the academy without paying?"

"Well, there aren't any that pay for everything, but there are some that pay for most of it. I think there's one for orphans." Hope! I had hope again. "But you'll have to wait until you're 9. Even then it's hard to get in."

"Is there any way to get in early?"

"Not with a scholarship, but you can. There's a shinobi who graduated at 5!"

5! Some one graduated 2 years younger than me, and I hadn't even gotten in yet.

"Well, if there aren't anymore questions, I'll be going now." Iruka gave everyone a smile. It wasn't a fake smile. It was his, no one else's, just his.

We went back outside, played another game of 'ninja' this time I was a ninja. It took a while to get used to throwing the shuriken, but I got a hold of it. We had to go inside for our "basic knowledge lessons", things that every villager needed to know. We went to sleep after that.

When I woke up everyone was gone, but no one had set my alarm clock forward. I guess they just got up early. I stood up, got dressed and went to breakfast.

"Where is everyone?" Mrs. Knushi was the only person there.

"They were so excited about become _real_ shinobi, they went out to do chores for the villagers living around here, so they could get into the ninja academy." Mrs. Knushi was reading a book.

Not even Miyu was still here. I ate my breakfast, then went out to see if any one had chores I could do. Not a single person had a chore, the other orphans had taken them all.

Over the next few weeks my body began to get thicker. No one was taking my food, and I had begun working out to get strong.

I looked at my calender one morning after I woke up. My birthday would in two days. That morning no one had left for their chores, because some one was here to adopt.

"Line up children." Mrs. Knushi directed us into a line, in front of the couple. They were young, about 20 I thought.

They began whispering things to one another, as I realized that they were both shinobi.

_Finally, this could be my ticket to become a shinobi, and have a family._

Who was I kidding, no one ever chose to adopt me. It was like everyone hated me.

The man, wearing ANBU clothes, had his headband over his left eye, and a black mask over his face. His hair was a grayish silver. The woman wore a pinkish red robe, her headband was in a normal position, keeping her brown hair from falling over her eyes. The most notable feature of her face, other than her dark brown eyes, were the two purple lines on her cheeks.

I saw the man look at me through the corner of his eye, and at the same time the woman did the same. They continued whispering for another minute or so.

"We'll have to think it over, sorry if we were a bother." The man's voice had a certain tone to it, you could tell it was a little monotoned, but it had emotion.

"Oh, no problem at all. Come back when your ready." Mrs. Knushi made her fake smile again.

The couple left, leaving me wondering if they were thinking about adopting me. Everyone ate their breakfast, then went to do their chores, leaving me to work out.

The next morning I woke up hoping that the couple had come back, but they hadn't. I got dressed and went to eat. Something was different. Daiki wasn't there. I didn't bother to ask why, no need to mess with a good thing. Everyone left to do their chores, came back for lunch, left to finish their chores, then came back for supper.

The next morning I found out what happened to Daiki.

"Naruto, yesterday the village elders lowered the age in which an orphan is independent. That's why Daiki wasn't here yesterday, that's why its time for you to say goodbye. We aren't responsible for you anymore." Mrs. Knushi seemed so ready to kick me out the door.

I left, not knowing where to go. After wandering around I found the section of Konoha known as The Slums. It was filled with bums, unemployed singles, and drunks. I found an alley that no one was in and spent the next month in there, wondering what to do, begging, and praying.

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**Thank you for reviewing! Naruto Age 8 is next.**


	3. The Gang

Thank you for reviewing and putting this on your story alerts.

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It was so hard. I missed Miyu. I bet Mrs. Knushi didn't kick her out, she liked her.

I looked across the street. There was a group of people surrounding something and shouting. I got up and went over to see what it was.

"Come Yuki, you can beat him." One of the men closer toward the center was cheering some one one.

As I got closer I realized it was a fight, between some one named Yuki, and some one named Bakuza. One of them hit the other square in the face, knocking him down and spreading blood all over the concrete. The other man stood back up and hit the first man in the face again, knocking him down. It appeared to be more of a boxing match than a fight. Another minute of fighting passed and the second man, Yuki, was declared the winner.

"Alright."

"You beat im' up something bad, Yuki. Hees face es cov'rd n' blood!"

Suddenly some one grabbed me by my arm.

"What are you doing in this part of town by yourself?" The man, unshaved for a month or so, scared me.

"I don't have any family." I was beginning to shake.

"Come with me." The man started dragging me somewhere, I was scared.

"You have a family now!" The man had led me to an abandoned warehouse. There were five other men in it.

"I'm Zuka, this is Jinko, Noru, we call him 'The Rat', he's 'Dry', and that guy's 'Fish'." Zuka began to explain each one of their backgrounds.

Zuka himself was born into poverty, and as he said "Will die in poverty."

Jinko came from the Waterfall Village, he won't say anything else.

Noru used to be a rich noble, but some robbed his bank account, leaving him in poverty.

The Rat, got his name because he knew hundreds of ways to cook them. He said they were the easiest food to find in that part of town.

Dry got his name from drinking so much sake, one of his kidney's failed. Now he can't have a single drop, or he'll die.

Fish used to be a fisherman, until some one named Ghato forbid foreign fishers from fishing near the Land of Waves.

"What's you moniker?" Noru had never learned how to talk like an impoverished man.

"I'm Naruto Uzumaki." A few of them gasped and whispered a little.

"Well, welcome Naruto!" Zuka began walking down a hall. "Follow me."

He showed me to my room. It was small, perhaps 5 feet by 5 feet. A pile of rags was in the corner, my bed. I was still better than what I was sleeping on in the street.

"Goodnight." Zuka shut the door, making the room near pitch black.

I fell asleep, wondering if I should trust these guys.

"Wake up." I opened my eyes, expecting to see Zuka. Instead I saw the man from the fight yesterday, Yuki. "So, you're Naruto. Cool name, kid."

Yuki was covered in bandages, from the fight yesterday.

"Come one, Rat's making breakfast." I stood up. "You ever had rat before kid?"

"No."

"It's good." He began to lick his lips as I followed him.

We sat down in a circle on the floor. Jinko pulled out a cigarette, lit it, took a puff from it, and then passed it to Zuka, who was on his left. Zuka did the same, passing it to Fish. Eventually it got to Yuki, who passed it around me to Jinko again. They began to talk about the fight yesterday.

"I'm telling you Yuki, you'd make the best boxer ever!" Everyone agreed with what Fish had said.

"No way. I only fight when I'm drunk, or when it's over one of my girls."

"You mean those prostitutes?" Everyone began laughing, at the time I didn't know what a prostitute was.

"Guys, guys, we have a kid here." Everyone stopped talking after Yuki said that, leaving a moment of silence.

"Rat's done!" Rat walked into the room, carrying a huge plate covered with little rats, grilled it looked like. "Enjoy!"

Everyone began to eat. Zuka and Yuki ate theirs in nearly one gulp. Noru ate his slowly, you could see the remains of a nobleman just in the way he ate. Everyone else ate their normally. They had left Naruto 3 rats.

"Come on kid, they're good for you, and they taste great." Yuki looked down on me.

I picked up one of the rats, took a bite, and then stopped.

"These are great!" I began to eat the rats as fast as I could.

Everyone began laughing, I looked around myself and smiled. I finally had a family, but most importantly, I finally had a real friend, Yuki.

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**Ya, joy in Naruto's life! How long will it last? Please R&R.**


	4. New Home, Again

"Hey, kid. I'm gonna go out, wanna come with me?" Yuki stuck a cigarette in his mouth and lit it.

"Sure!" I said enthusiastically. I had been living at the warehouse for a month by then. I knew just about everything, when Rat said he was cooking leftovers, I knew he meant he was cooking rat testicles. When Yuki said he was going out, I knew he was gonna get into a fight.

We began to walk out the door.

"Don't go out and get boozed with that kid, Yuki." Zuka didn't like it when I was alone with Yuki.

"Yeah, yeah." Zuka knew there was no point, Yuki couldn't leave the warehouse without getting some kind of alcoholic drink. He even had a still in the basement!

First we went to Mashibadu's, a pub that had few patrons. In fact I think The Gang were the only regular customers, coming back at least once a week. The pub was actually owned by a man named Suzuko, despite the name. He always gave Yuki or Zuka a drink on the house first.

"Thanks Suzo." Yuki was only person who called him that, Yuki was the only person he would let call him that.

"Yeah, yeah, yeah. But you pay for the next one. And if you gonna fight, you gonna take it outside." Suzo's place was always under threat from the health inspector. Blood all over the floor wouldn't help him that much.

Yuki had a few more drinks, and I had Suzuko's Soup of the Day. It was really the same soup every day, but no one really cared. After Yuki began to hit on the girls sitting at the bar, I knew soon he'd be in a fight. After he won the fight, we'd go home, enjoyed dinner and go to sleep. That was the way it worked. The only exception was when I found even a small amount of money, hoping one day I could save enough to go to the ninja academy. I knew I'd never get enough that way, but I thought it was hope, and everyone liked hope. When I woke up the next morning I decided to go on a walk by myself. It was a cold winter day, and I didn't have a jacket.

I had walked half a mile, then I got in trouble. Across the street I saw the Brumely Boys, three kids who loved to get into unfair fights. One of them was my age, another was a year older than me, and the last was 12. Yuki and Zuka had always warned me to stay away from them, saying they'd start a fight for sure, and I was too young to fight. Even though my muscles were bulging compared to when I was at the orphanage, and my stomach was filled more often (yes, _more_ often. Not less,), I still couldn't take them on. I had been in fair, fist fights before, with varying results. I had won one, and lost one, the other two we were separated before one of us fell down. But those were fist only fights, the Brumely Boys used beer bottles (yes, they drank), knifes, pipes, whatever they could grab.

"Hey, kid." The oldest one began to walk towards me, I could see the pipe in his hand.

I began to panic, I didn't know what to do. I probably could've gotten away, if I had ran, but I didn't. I just stood there, filled with fear. They got even closer to me, as they did I began to smell more and more of the beer on their breathes. The 9-year old one pulled out a 4-inch blade. This made me even more nervous. I wondered why no one was stopping them, it was because the only people around were the kind of people that enjoyed seeing little kids beat up. I reached down to the ground, trying to find something to fight with. Nothing, nothing but lotto tickets and dirt. Desperate, I raised my fists, and removed all expression from my face. There was still room for me to run, but I didn't, not then at least.

"Tough guy, huh?" The one my age pulled out a red stick with plastic at one end. I wondered what it was at first, but then realized.

"Hey, the short one pulled out a flare!" A drunk attracted attention to the fight. I knew Jinko and Noru would come when the fight became popular, they loved to watch fights. Despite these comforts, I knew the flare wasn't going to be used to beat me.

He grabbed the plastic, then pulled it off, creating a blast of red flame. He began to walk towards me. Then I was really scared, I ran. I didn't care about reputation, I didn't care about honor, I just wanted to live. So I ran. But, it was too late, he had thrown the flare at me, catching my shirt on fire, scorching my body. I knew I couldn't get on the ground and roll, the alcohol from poured out bottles would only help the fire. I took my shirt off, leaving my chest and back badly burnt, and the fire caught my hair. By now Noru was there, he helped beat out the fire. Most of my hair had been shortened from the flames singing it. The tips were blackened. My entire body was in pained, especially my back. Noru took me back home, and I had to spend the next two months lying in bed (a pile of dirty rags, remember) face down, with cold, wet rags on my back and head. Rat brought me my food some times, but most often Yuki did. He would sit down and talk to me.

"So, those kids whooped you good, huh?" Yuki began to eat. "You'll get them some day, when you become a shinobi." Yuki chuckled at the joke he just made. He knew I would never become a shinobi, we could never afford it. "You go when your nine right?" I nodded my head. "So, around nine months, right?" I nodded my head again, eating my rat soup. "We've been saving our money..." He was referring to The Gang. "...Because we know how much you want to go to train to be a shinobi, The Gang and I are going to spend the money on Ninja Academy for you."

"Why?"

"You deserve more than this Naruto. You deserve better than poverty. The life of a shinobi can give you that." A tear began to appear in Yuki's eye.

We were both finished with our dinner in a few minutes of silence.

Suddenly he spoke. "Can you walk now?"

"Uh, yeah."

"Get dressed, come on."

"Where are we going?"

"You're going to go work for Suzuko. Just serving drinks, maybe mixing them. He'll pay you an honest fare, and you'll get money to go to the academy."

We left, and after traveling on the dirty streets for half an hour, we arrived at Mashibadu's.

"Yeah, the kid can work here. Come 'ere kid, I hafta' show yous' how to mix drinks." Suzuko seemed happy to have my help.

Yuki sat down and waited for Yuriki, the _hot_ waitress that worked Suzuko, to take his order. He sure liked her. I had heard him talk about proposing to her someday, but that was mainly dreaming. He had tried to impress her by fighting, which occasionally had, when the person he was fighting deserved it, but most of the time it turned her off. His muscles turned her on, though, it was just fighting that turned her off. She didn't like it.

"Alright, first I'll teach you to make a "'Puyo Sundy'". Now listen carefully." I had tasted a "Puyo Sundy" before. They were awful. I imagine that's what urine would taste like. They were only served on Sundays, and the only reason they were popular was because it was a cheap way to get drunk. "Now, first you take some..." He went on to tell every step to making it, I memorized it best I could but still it wasn't enough...

"Alright, now make one for Yuki." Suzuko smiled at me, showing his rotting, yellow teeth.

I began to mix the ingredients. I accidentally put too much sake in it though, but that turned out to be good.

"This is great, much better than normal! What did you do different?" Yuki smiled at Suzuko. In turned Suzuko just looked at me for messing up the recipe. "I'll pay you double if you put this on the menu permanently!" Suzuko's angry stare turned into joy.

"Okay. Tell you guys what, I'll give you each one free, uh, one free... Think of a name."

"Naruto Sundy'." Yuriki suggested.

"Yes, one free Naruto Sundy'"

Suddenly I was making drinks like crazy! People wanted more and more of my drink, Suzuko wasn't sure what I was doing, he just knew it was good. That was pretty much life for the next few weeks. My name known throughout all of Konoha's Slums as "The Boy Mixer" but it wouldn't last long.

"Kid." Yuki called me.

"Yes?"

"Get dressed and come with me."

I did as he said, not asking anything. He led me away from the slums, away from the drunks and whores, away from the violence and hate. Away, away to the edge of a forest, where there was a house.

"This is my uncle's house. He's a little old, but he's cool. I'm giving him all the money we've been saving. He'll keep saving it, and he'll put his own money in it. But you'll have to work for most of it. I'll come by and visit you some time okay. You'll have a better chance here, kid." He lied, he would never visit me.

"Okay, say hello to Yuriki for me." I had grown to like Suzuko's daughter, who turned out to be Yuriki.

"I will. One day, when me and her are married, I'll let you come live with us if you want to." Yuki laughed, trying to hold back the tears swelling in his eyes.

Then he left, never to return...

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**Thanks for reviewing. Sorry it took so long to get this chapter out. Next one will be out soon. Will Naruto be happy living with Yuki's Uncle? Only time will tell...**


	5. A Bright Future

"Listen kid, you can paint the shed in the back, cut my lawn, and do housework to get the money you need. As I understand, you have nine months about, and you still need one ninth of the money. So get working! I'll feed you for free and you can sleep on the couch." Yuki's uncle wasn't exactly a kind old man.

"Yes sir." I said politely.

"Cut that out! You think this is the damn army? My name is Hiroshi." Hiroshi clearly wasn't fond of having a little kid around.

"Sorry, Hiroshi." All I remember of that day after that is hoping that his couch was soft.

_Seven months Later..._

I finished pushing the old, rusted push-mower that Hiroshi said I was "lucky to have," then I walked inside to take a nice, relaxing bath. I took off my shirt and scratched the scars on my back from the burns. As I got into the water steam rose from the surface. It was so relaxing. I had just began to enjoy myself when I heard a scream from downstairs.

"Help! Help!" It was Hiroshi.

I hopped out of the tub, put on my pants quickly, and rushed downstairs. By the time I had gotten there, it was too late. Hiroshi lay on the floor, a knife through his heart. Above him was a large man, dressed in black business attire with a blood-soaked white shirt. I search frantically for something that could help me. My salvation literary lay in Hiroshi's hand. I grabbed the 6-inch knife from his bloodied fingers. With no time I tossed the knife and hit the man square in the head. I called the police, who came over and cleaned it all up. One of them found the old man's will upstairs in a desk with a letter.

_Hiroshi's Letter_

Dear Naruto,

Living out here in the woods alone has always been dangerous for me. I've been paying a Gang for protection, but over the past six months I've been skipping out to put the money towards your Ninja school or what-ever it is. I fear that by the time you get this I may already be dead. I have enough, forget me Naruto, you have to much in the future to dwell on the past. Just remember that those who hate you don't win, unless you hate them too*. Good luck Naruto, good luck.

Love, Hiroshi

_End of his Letter_

A tear rolled down my cheek, I never thought he had cared about me that much. It was that week I ever more determined to become a Shinobi, more than ever. It was that week I enrolled at Konoha's Academy for the Shinobi Arts. It was that week, I looked towards a bright future, instead of a black past.

The End.

Lol, sorry it took me a while to get out. I might make a sequel, but don't count on it too much. Thanks to all of you who supported me.

*"Always remember that others may hate you but those who hate you don't win unless you hate them. And then you destroy yourself." A Richard M. Nixon quote.


	6. Epilogue

Epilogue

Naruto stepped onto the road that led into the slums. He heard a bottle crunch under his shoe. Sakura, Kakashi, and Sasuke followed behind intently. Naruto stopped when he came to broken sidewalk.

_This is where my life changed, the first time I saw a fist-fight. The first time I had a family..._

A tear strolled down Naruto's cheek, but he quickly wiped it away.

"I'm telling you, you have to spice it with sake!" Team 7 turned to see who was making the weird conversation.

What they saw was two men standing by an empty barrel, using it as a fire pit. One of them had some sort of creature on a stick and was roasting it in the fire. The other, the same man who was talking about spicing, was sitting on the ground, one leg ending at his knee and a crutch beside him.

"Hey, I don't need cooking advice from you!" The 'chef' yelled at him.

"You wouldn't have said that five years ago. I was the master then," Naruto started to recognize the voice, albeit drunk, "I could cook a rodent like that one kid could mix. Man, he was great! So was I though." Drunken weeps then came from the man.

"Naruto, where are you going?" Sakura shouted at Naruto as he went to drunk.

Naruto approached the drunk, shading him from the fire-light.

"Who the Hell are you!?" The drunk spat at him.

"Uzumaki, Naruto. Are you Rat?"

"That's what they used to," Rat soon interrupted himself, "Naruto! Look at you, all grown up. A full-fledged Shinobi, huh? Great, I knew you could do it!"

"What are you doing out in the street like this?" Naruto helped his old friend up.

"It's a long story..."

And with that they walked down the street, to be joined by a reluctant Kakashi, Sasuke, and Sakura.

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I'm thinking of making a sequel, along the premise of the above. Please Read and Review.


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